Pictured: This isn't a pork-trait of Ziggy, but rather of another beloved Bandera County pot-bellied pig, Wilber, who lives comfortably at the Country Accents Antiques complex on Highway 16 South.

The afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 1, a routine loose livestock call turned out to be anything but - routine, that is.

Law enforcement scanners crackled with information that a pot-bellied pig - complete with collar - was on the loose and heading south on FM 3240. After spying the errant swine, a concerned motorist had relayed the information to emergency dispatch, who asked a deputy to assist.

According to conversations overheard on a police scanner and subsequently reported to the Courier, the Good Samaritan and a Bandera County Sheriff's Office deputy followed the piggy as it hot-hoofed it toward the City of Bandera. Information was that the apparently picky porker had failed to respond with gustatory delight to range cubes, used as a feed supplement for cattle, that were being strewn in his path.

After noting, "He keeps walking toward town," a deputy added, "If the owner is not located soon, we'll have to call a wrangler to the scene." After that, the scanner went dark - or rather silent.

After some time had passed, the deputy reported that a possible owner had been located; the piggy's name was Ziggy; and that he had been missing for a year.

By this time, Ziggy had stopped his relentless trek and was now reposing in a ditch. A little later, possibly feeling a little peckish, Ziggy roused himself and began grazing with the deputy keeping a close watch over the wayward pig. After all, Ziggy had earlier eschewed the previously offered range cubes.

According to Sheriff Daniel "Dan" Butts, once Ziggy's owner arrived at the scene, the deputy helped load the hog for a ride back to his home. Butts commended Deputies Matt Kruger and Charles Hoffa for a job well done.

We only wish we could have been there for Ziggy the Piggy's long-awaited reunion with his owner. We predict a very Merry Christmas for Ziggy and his family.